Students at Veterans Memorial Elementary listen to a children's book author Sarah Albee in 2012
Introduction Veterans Memorial Elementary is a public school in Central Falls Rhode Island. It serves grades 1-4, with 532 students and 46 teachers. Ann Lynch is the principal, and Frances Gallo the Superintendent. The schools of the Central Falls district are historically low performing, and Veterans is no exception. The test scores are below average in every subject. Through the use of statistics and data, I hope to gain insight into the possible causes of Veterans Memorial Elementary's low achievement.
Demographics The school is located in Central Falls Rhode Island, the smallest city in the state. It is densely populated, and predominantly Hispanic. In Veterans Memorial specifically, 76% of students are Hispanic, 10% are African American, 8% White, 5% Multiracial, and 1% Native American. This is likely a reason for 30% of Students Receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services, as opposed to 6% statewide. An example of the high rate of bilingualism is their school website being written in both English and Spanish. The 2012 Census shows that the median family income in Central Falls is $35,22; whereas statewide it is $72,872. This $40,000 difference is more than likely to have an effect on the quality of a child’s life, which could manifest in lack of school importance. As a result of the low family income, the percent of Student Eligibility for Subsidized Lunch is 88%, almost double that of the statewide 47%. Nutrition is extremely important in terms of student learning; if you do not know when your next meal is coming, then school is less meaningful.
Academic Achievement As before stated, schools in Central Falls do not do well on state tests. The following statistics from InfoWorks! Accountability Summary and Classification show just how badly. In Reading and Math evaluations, the only student group that achieved proficiency were White students; African-American students made sufficient progress. Out of 18 proficiency targets assessed, 4 were met. The NECAP Assessments also show significantly lower proficiency than that of the state in both Reading and Math for 3rd and 4th graders. 3Rd graders at VME were below 30% proficient in both Reading and Math, a dismal statistic, and 4th graders were just around 40% proficient, when the state is at 63% in math, and 70% in reading. In 2013, VME was qualified as a “Focus” school by the Rhode Island Department of Education, and was made to create and implement a school-reform plan. This plan was recently implemented, and therefore data indicating the effectiveness is yet to be determined.
Teaching Both the data from InfoWorks! And the SurveyWorks survey seem relatively promising in terms of teaching. The Teacher-Student ratio in the classroom is 1:13, just below the 1:14 statewide. The data from the survey regarding Teacher-Student relationships shows that 98.9% of students believe their teachers care about them, which is higher than 94.7% statewide; a positive difference. Also higher than the statewide 94.4%, 96.8% of students say their teachers are nice to them. Although the data report positive relationships among students and teachers, the academic achievements are still low, perhaps indicating that there is more to teaching than friendship.
Safety/ School Climate Veterans Memorial Elementary appears to be a safe and presentable environment, comparatively speaking. The SurveyWorks data shows that 86.3% of students feel safe in their school, very close to the 88.5% statewide. However the percent of students who feel safe outside of school is 64.5%, as opposed to 80.0% statewide. The attendance rate is 1% below the state at 94%. The data on bullying is very similar in this school as it is in the state; with 75.9% saying the bullying they experienced stopped after they told an adult, which is considerably higher than the state's 59.4%. The student violence rates are lower than the state, with 8.2% reporting having participated in/witnessed a fight, and 12.7% in the state; another positive difference. The statistics on Alcohol, Smoking, and Drug Use are nearly exactly on point with the state; a difference worth mentioning is the 3.1% saying they have taken an illegal drug whereas it is 1% statewide. These are elementary students, and this statistic could become increasingly important as students enter higher grade levels and drugs become more accessible. If they are being exposed to or are taking drugs at this young age, then the probability that they will abuse drugs as they grow up increases, which could in turn affect motivation and graduation rates.
Conclusion In summary, the data about Veterans Memorial Elementary school showed that 76% of students are Hispanic, 88% of students qualify for Subsidized Lunch, the median family income in Central Falls is approximately $40,000 less than that of the state, 3rd and 4th graders were significantly less proficient than the state average on the NECAP exam, the students like their teachers, and feel safe in school. The most probable cause of VME's low test scores are economic and racial factors. Most high performing public schools in the state have large white populations, whereas VME is primarily Hispanics. Also, these families are earning far less money than is common statewide, which means they cannot provide the same home life and opportunities as that of a financially stable family. These are possible causes of this school's low achievement and subsequent "Focus" classification.
Introduction
Veterans Memorial Elementary is a public school in Central Falls Rhode Island. It serves grades 1-4, with 532 students and 46 teachers. Ann Lynch is the principal, and Frances Gallo the Superintendent. The schools of the Central Falls district are historically low performing, and Veterans is no exception. The test scores are below average in every subject. Through the use of statistics and data, I hope to gain insight into the possible causes of Veterans Memorial Elementary's low achievement.
Demographics
The school is located in Central Falls Rhode Island, the smallest city in the state. It is densely populated, and predominantly Hispanic. In Veterans Memorial specifically, 76% of students are Hispanic, 10% are African American, 8% White, 5% Multiracial, and 1% Native American. This is likely a reason for 30% of Students Receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services, as opposed to 6% statewide. An example of the high rate of bilingualism is their school website being written in both English and Spanish. The 2012 Census shows that the median family income in Central Falls is $35,22; whereas statewide it is $72,872. This $40,000 difference is more than likely to have an effect on the quality of a child’s life, which could manifest in lack of school importance. As a result of the low family income, the percent of Student Eligibility for Subsidized Lunch is 88%, almost double that of the statewide 47%. Nutrition is extremely important in terms of student learning; if you do not know when your next meal is coming, then school is less meaningful.
Academic Achievement
As before stated, schools in Central Falls do not do well on state tests. The following statistics from InfoWorks! Accountability Summary and Classification show just how badly. In Reading and Math evaluations, the only student group that achieved proficiency were White students; African-American students made sufficient progress. Out of 18 proficiency targets assessed, 4 were met. The NECAP Assessments also show significantly lower proficiency than that of the state in both Reading and Math for 3rd and 4th graders. 3Rd graders at VME were below 30% proficient in both Reading and Math, a dismal statistic, and 4th graders were just around 40% proficient, when the state is at 63% in math, and 70% in reading. In 2013, VME was qualified as a “Focus” school by the Rhode Island Department of Education, and was made to create and implement a school-reform plan. This plan was recently implemented, and therefore data indicating the effectiveness is yet to be determined.
Teaching
Both the data from InfoWorks! And the SurveyWorks survey seem relatively promising in terms of teaching. The Teacher-Student ratio in the classroom is 1:13, just below the 1:14 statewide. The data from the survey regarding Teacher-Student relationships shows that 98.9% of students believe their teachers care about them, which is higher than 94.7% statewide; a positive difference. Also higher than the statewide 94.4%, 96.8% of students say their teachers are nice to them. Although the data report positive relationships among students and teachers, the academic achievements are still low, perhaps indicating that there is more to teaching than friendship.
Safety/ School Climate
Veterans Memorial Elementary appears to be a safe and presentable environment, comparatively speaking. The SurveyWorks data shows that 86.3% of students feel safe in their school, very close to the 88.5% statewide. However the percent of students who feel safe outside of school is 64.5%, as opposed to 80.0% statewide. The attendance rate is 1% below the state at 94%. The data on bullying is very similar in this school as it is in the state; with 75.9% saying the bullying they experienced stopped after they told an adult, which is considerably higher than the state's 59.4%. The student violence rates are lower than the state, with 8.2% reporting having participated in/witnessed a fight, and 12.7% in the state; another positive difference. The statistics on Alcohol, Smoking, and Drug Use are nearly exactly on point with the state; a difference worth mentioning is the 3.1% saying they have taken an illegal drug whereas it is 1% statewide. These are elementary students, and this statistic could become increasingly important as students enter higher grade levels and drugs become more accessible. If they are being exposed to or are taking drugs at this young age, then the probability that they will abuse drugs as they grow up increases, which could in turn affect motivation and graduation rates.
Conclusion
In summary, the data about Veterans Memorial Elementary school showed that 76% of students are Hispanic, 88% of students qualify for Subsidized Lunch, the median family income in Central Falls is approximately $40,000 less than that of the state, 3rd and 4th graders were significantly less proficient than the state average on the NECAP exam, the students like their teachers, and feel safe in school. The most probable cause of VME's low test scores are economic and racial factors. Most high performing public schools in the state have large white populations, whereas VME is primarily Hispanics. Also, these families are earning far less money than is common statewide, which means they cannot provide the same home life and opportunities as that of a financially stable family. These are possible causes of this school's low achievement and subsequent "Focus" classification.
Sources
16th, A., & 2012. (n.d.). Thanks, Veterans Memorial Elementary School! Retrieved October 28, 2014, from http://www.sarahalbeebooks.com/2012/04/thanks-veterans-memorial-elementary-school/
Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). (2013). RIDE Releases 2013 School Classifications. Retrieved from http://www.ride.ri.gov/InsideRIDE/AdditionalInformation/News/ViewArticle/tabid/408/ArticleId/74/RIDE-Releases-2013-School-Classifications.aspx
Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). (2014). School Information: Veterans Memorial Elementary. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/veterans-memorial-elementary
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk